Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Saint-Pierre gate, also known as the Saint-Pierre bastion or Manoir Guéguen, is the best preserved vestige of the Nantes ramparts. It dates from the 15th century for its lower part, but rests on Gallo-Roman foundations of the 3rd century, also incorporating elements of the enclosures of the 9th and 13th centuries. Located at the outlet of Rue de l'Évêché, it was protected by a drawbridge and flanked by two towers: Guy de Thouars in the north and the bishopric in the south. After the fire of 1118, the bishopric moved near the cathedral, and Bishop Guéguen built a house there in the sixteenth century.

The Saint Peter Gate played a notable historical role: Henry IV borrowed it in 1598 to enter Nantes and sign the Nantes Edit. In the 18th century, the drawbridge was replaced by a stone pavement to facilitate access to the new Saint-Pierre and Saint-André courtyards. Part of the gate was demolished during the piercing of Rue Royale (now Rue du Roi-Albert).

Ranked a historic monument in 1909 with the adjoining buildings and their fireplace, the door was opened from the former bishopric in 1910. Between the 1920s and 1960s, it housed the "Musée de Nantes par l'image", whose collections were transferred to the Château des Ducs de Bretagne. The facades were restored in 2014, preserving this testimony of the medieval and ancient walls of the city.

External links